Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council England

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Arts Council has spent in each of the last 10 years in (a) Ilkley and (b) Keighley town.

John Glen: The table outlines Arts Council funding for organisations in the Parliamentary constituency of Keighley since 2008/09



Arts Council funding in Keighley
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.59 KB)

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations have completed the Government's Cyber-Essentials Scheme in each year since it was created.

Matt Hancock: Since the launch of the Cyber Essentials scheme in June 2014 there has been an ongoing upward trend in the number of certificates awarded to organisations, with 7,907 certificates awarded by the end of August 2017, 3,685 of which have been awarded since January 2017.

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the establishment of a skills advisory group to close the cyber skills gap in the UK workforce as set out in paragraph 7.1.8 of the Government's National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 to 2021.

Matt Hancock: The cyber security skills advisory group has been formed, but is only part of the solution. Since publication of the National Cyber Security Strategy in 2016, my officials have regularly met with, and sought advice on cyber skills from, a wide range of representatives of industry, academic and professional organisations in order to develop policy and see how else government can help to close the cyber skills gap.

Broadband: West Yorkshire

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for 100 per cent of residents of West Yorkshire having access to superfast broadband.

Matt Hancock: Currently, an estimated 94% of premises in West Yorkshire and York have access to superfast broadband. By the end of the current contract in March 2018, coverage is estimated to increase to over 96%. With UK Government support, West Yorkshire Combined Authority is currently negotiating a contract extension beyond March 2018 which will provide further superfast coverage. For premises not covered by superfast broadband, we will ensure universal broadband coverage of at least 10Mbps, so that no home or business is left behind.

Broadband: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, by what date it is planned that 100 per cent of residents of Hemsworth village will have access to superfast broadband.

Matt Hancock: An estimated 94% of premises in the constituency of Hemsworth currently have access to superfast speeds. By March 2018, this is predicted to rise to 97%. With UK Government support, West Yorkshire Combined Authority is currently negotiating an extension to its current delivery contract which will provide further superfast coverage, and for the remainder we will ensure universal broadband coverage of at least 10Mbps, so that no home or business is left behind.

Gambling

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the cost to the UK economy of problem gambling.

Tracey Crouch: Measuring the cost of problem gambling is a complicated task. The study by The Institute of Public Policy Research “Cards on the Table”, published in December 2016, estimated that the cost to the Government associated with problem gamblers ranged between £260m and £1.16bn. This reflects an estimate of the costs of public services for those individuals, but it does not capture the wider impact of problem gambling and gambling-related harm to the UK economy. The report can be found here: https://about.gambleaware.org/media/1367/cards-on-the-table_dec16.pdfGambleAware is commissioning research to improve understanding of gambling-related harm which should lead to a set of metrics which we can use to measure the impact of gambling-related harm on a wider scale. We continue to take problem gambling and gambling-related harm seriously and welcome developments to better understand this issue.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the principle set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the Government's Cyber Security Strategy that everyone who works in government has a sound awareness of cyber risk applies to members of staff employed by contractors doing work procured by her Department.

Matt Hancock: The policy set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the National Cyber Security Strategy applies to everyone employed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), including contractors. DCMS is committed to ensuring contractors and their staff have a sound awareness of cyber risk matters and they take all necessary safeguards to protect the department’s information.Cyber security awareness, the need to ensure contractual compliance with Information Assurance standards such as ISO 27001:2013 certification and “Cyber Essentials/ Plus”, is included in contract specifications and reviewed as part of the evaluation process. Contractors must comply with the department’s IT security policies and procedures.In addition, DCMS has directed its 43 Arms Length Bodies to gain Cyber Essentials accreditation and is in the process of being certified under the Cyber Essentials scheme through Cabinet Office, for its own supplied IT under the Government Digital Service programme.

Tech City UK and Tech North: Staff

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the gender balance is at Tech City and Tech North (a) overall and (b) among STEM staff.

Matt Hancock: The gender balance at Tech City and Tech North is 53% female and 47% male. We are not at liberty to publish the balance between the STEM subjects.

Broadband: Hampshire

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to meet the Universal Service Obligation and provide broadband to the final five per cent of properties in Hampshire.

Matt Hancock: The roll out of publicly funded superfast broadband in Hampshire is ongoing. Currently over 92% of premises have access to superfast broadband. Current contracts will ensure that superfast broadband services will be available to more than 97% of premises by 2019. For premises not covered by superfast broadband, the Government will ensure universal broadband access of at least 10Mbps by 2020, so that no home or business is left behind. We are currently considering two options for delivering this: a regulatory USO and a voluntary offer from BT and Openreach. A consultation on the design of the regulatory USO was published on 30 July and closes on 9 October. A decision on which route offers the best deal for consumers will be taken once we have considered the responses to the regulatory USO consultation.

Department for Education

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new schools have been built (a) with and (b) without a sprinkler system fitted in each year since 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 July 2017.The correct answer should have been:

All schools must comply with strict building and fire safety regulations. It has always been the case that where a fire risk assessment required for any new building recommends sprinklers are installed to keep children safe, they must be fitted.As not all new schools are commissioned by the Department for Education we do not hold data on the number of all new schools that have been built with or without sprinklers installed.The Department holds information on schools managed centrally by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, under the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). Of the 260 schools in phase one of the PSBP, 745 schools include sprinkler systems. As schools under phase two of the PSBP are still in the early design stage, it is not yet clear which may require sprinklers at this time.The number of schools in phase one with sprinklers installed had previously been reported as 75. However, further analysis of the data has confirmed that a joint project between two primary schools in Wiltshire had inadvertently been counted as two schools, when they should only have been counted once. Therefore, we can confirm that the correct number of schools fitted with sprinklers, under phase one of PSBP, is 74Until recently, schools developed under the Free Schools programme were managed by the individual Free School proposer groups, via their appointed building contractors. Due to this, the Department does not hold information on the number of Free School buildings with and without sprinklers installed.All schools must have robust safety plans to follow in the event of a fire and have very strong safety features. This includes the fact that they are not occupied overnight and are generally low rise with multiple exit routes.

Nick Gibb: All schools must comply with strict building and fire safety regulations. It has always been the case that where a fire risk assessment required for any new building recommends sprinklers are installed to keep children safe, they must be fitted.As not all new schools are commissioned by the Department for Education we do not hold data on the number of all new schools that have been built with or without sprinklers installed.The Department holds information on schools managed centrally by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, under the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). Of the 260 schools in phase one of the PSBP, 745 schools include sprinkler systems. As schools under phase two of the PSBP are still in the early design stage, it is not yet clear which may require sprinklers at this time.The number of schools in phase one with sprinklers installed had previously been reported as 75. However, further analysis of the data has confirmed that a joint project between two primary schools in Wiltshire had inadvertently been counted as two schools, when they should only have been counted once. Therefore, we can confirm that the correct number of schools fitted with sprinklers, under phase one of PSBP, is 74Until recently, schools developed under the Free Schools programme were managed by the individual Free School proposer groups, via their appointed building contractors. Due to this, the Department does not hold information on the number of Free School buildings with and without sprinklers installed.All schools must have robust safety plans to follow in the event of a fire and have very strong safety features. This includes the fact that they are not occupied overnight and are generally low rise with multiple exit routes.

Vaughan School Harrow: Insulation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will investigate whether the cladding installed as part of works on a new building at Vaughan Primary School in Harrow has been tested to ensure it is not combustible; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 July 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The Vaughan Primary School, Harrow, has been delivered by the ESFA through the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). We have completed checks of schools delivered through this programme and confirm that the cladding on this school is not Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). The Department is undertaking an analysis of all school buildings, seeking information from all bodies responsible for schools, to identify those where external cladding has been used (and its type) for schools with four storeys or more. This exercise will cover school buildings of all ages, whether they have been funded through DfE central programmes or not.  All schools must comply with strict building and fire safety regulations. It has always been the case that where a fire risk assessment required for any new building recommends sprinklers are installed to keep children safe, they must be fitted.The Department holds information on PSBP schools as these are managed centrally by the ESFA. Of the 260 schools in phase one of the PSBP, 745 schools include sprinkler systems. As schools under phase two of the PSBP are still in the early design stage, it is not yet clear which may require sprinklers at this time.The number of schools in phase one with sprinklers installed had previously been reported as 75. However, further analysis of the data has confirmed that a joint project between two primary schools in Wiltshire had inadvertently been counted as two schools, when they should only have been counted once. Therefore, we can confirm that the correct number of schools fitted with sprinklers, under phase one of PSBP, is 74. Until recently, schools developed under the Free Schools programme were managed by the individual Free School proposer groups, via their appointed building contractors. Due to this, the Department does not hold information on the number of Free School buildings with and without sprinklers installed.All schools must have robust safety plans to follow in the event of a fire and have very strong safety features in case a fire breaks out. This includes the fact that they are not occupied overnight and are generally low rise with multiple exit routes.

Nick Gibb: The Vaughan Primary School, Harrow, has been delivered by the ESFA through the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). We have completed checks of schools delivered through this programme and confirm that the cladding on this school is not Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). The Department is undertaking an analysis of all school buildings, seeking information from all bodies responsible for schools, to identify those where external cladding has been used (and its type) for schools with four storeys or more. This exercise will cover school buildings of all ages, whether they have been funded through DfE central programmes or not.  All schools must comply with strict building and fire safety regulations. It has always been the case that where a fire risk assessment required for any new building recommends sprinklers are installed to keep children safe, they must be fitted.The Department holds information on PSBP schools as these are managed centrally by the ESFA. Of the 260 schools in phase one of the PSBP, 745 schools include sprinkler systems. As schools under phase two of the PSBP are still in the early design stage, it is not yet clear which may require sprinklers at this time.The number of schools in phase one with sprinklers installed had previously been reported as 75. However, further analysis of the data has confirmed that a joint project between two primary schools in Wiltshire had inadvertently been counted as two schools, when they should only have been counted once. Therefore, we can confirm that the correct number of schools fitted with sprinklers, under phase one of PSBP, is 74. Until recently, schools developed under the Free Schools programme were managed by the individual Free School proposer groups, via their appointed building contractors. Due to this, the Department does not hold information on the number of Free School buildings with and without sprinklers installed.All schools must have robust safety plans to follow in the event of a fire and have very strong safety features in case a fire breaks out. This includes the fact that they are not occupied overnight and are generally low rise with multiple exit routes.

Home Office

Refugees: Children

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children are supported by each local authority; how many children each local authority has offered to support; and what support has been offered to local authorities to increase their capacity to provide appropriate psychological support for unaccompanied child refugees.

Brandon Lewis: Published data on unaccompanied asylum seeking children can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to#unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children. There are over 4,000 unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) in local authority care in the UK. The National Transfer Scheme was launched on 1 July 2016 and has been working to ensure a fairer allocation of UASC across the UK. A significant number of local authorities have participated in the scheme and enabled the transfer of children away from local authorities with a disproportionate number of UASC in their care. The Government welcomes all offers from local authorities with capacity to look after UASC. We continue to engage with local authorities across the country to encourage further participation. In support of the National Transfer Scheme central government increased funding to local authorities caring for UASC by up to 33% in July 2016. In August 2017 a review of funding for UASC was launched and all local authorities who currently look after unaccompanied children have been invited to submit evidence.

Visas

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for settlement visas paid for under her Department's Priority Service Scheme were processed within 60 working days in the latest period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office. Published data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).

Children: Refugees

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the refugee family reunion visas granted on the basis of exceptional compelling compassionate circumstances outside the immigration rules were under 18, for each of the last five years.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugee family reunion visas were granted to children, by country of origin, for each year for which records are available.

Brandon Lewis: The data is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Published statistics on visa applications in the Family category can be found online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/638590/entry-visas1-apr-jun-2017-tables.ods

Visas

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for non-settlement visas paid for under her Department's Priority Service scheme were processed within 15 working days in the latest period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office. Published data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).

Visas

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (a) settlement, (b) non-settlement and (c) total visa applications are submitted under her Department's Priority Service scheme.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office. The latest published migration statistics, which includes data on visa application volumes, can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017

Universities: EU Nationals

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that applications for settled status of EU academics working in UK universities will not be affected by the time spent outside of the UK to support their research activity.

Brandon Lewis: As set out in paragraph 20 of the Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), settled status would generally be lost if a person was absent from the UK for more than two years, unless they have strong ties here. Both the UK and EU’s position - as set out in the joint technical note on citizens’ rights available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights - is that in identifying the necessary five years’ continuous residence to acquire settled status, the definition of continuity of residence should reflect Article 16 (3) of Directive 2004/38, which permits absences of six months in any 12 months, or 12 months for an important reason, for example studying or being posted abroad. We will publish more details of the new scheme, including details of eligibility criteria, in due course once an agreement has been reached.

Borders: Personal Records

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many exit checks were conducted at each UK border point of exit in each of the last 12 months; and how many of those checks resulted in (a) temporary and (b) permanent detention by police or other authorities.

Brandon Lewis: Since 8 April 2015 departure data has been collected on all scheduled commercial services departing the UK from air and sea ports and from international rail stations except those services not within the scope of the exit checks programme. Border Force hold data for outbound alerts issued by Border Force at the National Border Targeting Centre (NBTC) where feedback has been received, such as those which have been progressed for pre-departure intervention. A variety of agencies, including Border Force, undertake outbound interventions, as a result of this various activity there is no single record held on their respective outcomes.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what transitional arrangements are in place for claimants whose health deteriorates when in receipt of jobseeker's allowance if their claim is stopped and they are advised to claim employment support allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 September 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Since August 2017 we have been focussing on more proactive case management to reduce delays and speed up the clearance of mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payment. A similar exercise for mandatory reconsiderations for employment and support allowance has started, looking at the entire journey from when the customer first challenges the Department’s decision, from which we expect to be able to identify opportunities to reduce delays in the current process and speed up clearance of mandatory reconsiderations. The median monthly clearance time for employment and support allowance mandatory reconsiderations in July 2017 was 13 days, 1 day less than in April 2017. However it is important that sufficient time is allowed for customers to provide any additional evidence that will help to support their case. Accordingly there is no target time for clearing mandatory reconsiderations – each is done without delay, but based on its merits.  If a JSA claimant’s health deteriorates, and the period of sickness is expected to exceed 13 weeks, a claim should be made to ESA or Universal Credit (UC) in relevant geographical areas. In this instance the claimant would need to close their JSA claim and make a new claim to ESA. ESA can be claimed immediately following the closure of a JSA claim and, provided the claim to ESA was made within 12 weeks of closing their JSA claim, the claimant would not have to serve waiting days. There are no transitional arrangements between the benefits however, the aim is for there to be no unnecessary interruption of funds to the individual. Where a claimant is in urgent financial need whilst their ESA claim is being processed, they can apply for additional support in the form of an advance on their first payment, known as a “short term benefit advance”, or a hardship payment. The claimant will receive a benefit advance payment on the same or next working day. If the JSA claimant’s period of sickness is likely to be for less than 13 weeks (referred to as an Extended Period of Sickness (EPS)), the claimant may choose to remain in receipt of JSA rather than claiming ESA/UC. If they choose to do this, they will receive the same amount of JSA benefit. To qualify for an EPS the claimant must not be fit for any work and this will be determined based on the medical evidence supplied. During this period the claimant will be treated as being available for work, and the Work Coach will tailor the conditionality requirements on their Claimant Commitment, taking into account the claimant’s health condition. An EPS can only be declared for one continuous period of sickness of 13 weeks or less in any 12 month period calculated from the start of the period of sickness. Once it is clear the period of sickness will last for 13 weeks or more, the claimant will be advised to make a claim to ESA or UC. In areas where UC Full Service is in place, the claimant will be advised to claim UC rather than ESA. One of the policy designs of Universal Credit is that it removes the need for claimants to switch between different benefits as their circumstances change, simplifying the system and ensuring continuity for claimants. As stated, there are no transitional arrangements for UC. Where a claimant advises they cannot manage financially until their pay day (UC is paid monthly, unlike JSA and ESA which are fortnightly), an advance can be made. This advance is recoverable from further payments of UC, at a rate agreed between the claimant and the Work Coach. Universal Credit is a much simpler system with clearer rules and clearer rates. It has an easy to use online account, where claimants can report changes of circumstance in real time. UC Support for disabled people under UC reflects two core components of the old ESA system, ensuring that more severely disabled people benefit from higher payments.

Penny Mordaunt: Since August 2017 we have been focussing on more proactive case management to reduce delays and speed up the clearance of mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payment. A similar exercise for mandatory reconsiderations for employment and support allowance has started, looking at the entire journey from when the customer first challenges the Department’s decision, from which we expect to be able to identify opportunities to reduce delays in the current process and speed up clearance of mandatory reconsiderations. The median monthly clearance time for employment and support allowance mandatory reconsiderations in July 2017 was 13 days, 1 day less than in April 2017. However it is important that sufficient time is allowed for customers to provide any additional evidence that will help to support their case. Accordingly there is no target time for clearing mandatory reconsiderations – each is done without delay, but based on its merits.  If a JSA claimant’s health deteriorates, and the period of sickness is expected to exceed 13 weeks, a claim should be made to ESA or Universal Credit (UC) in relevant geographical areas. In this instance the claimant would need to close their JSA claim and make a new claim to ESA. ESA can be claimed immediately following the closure of a JSA claim and, provided the claim to ESA was made within 12 weeks of closing their JSA claim, the claimant would not have to serve waiting days. There are no transitional arrangements between the benefits however, the aim is for there to be no unnecessary interruption of funds to the individual. Where a claimant is in urgent financial need whilst their ESA claim is being processed, they can apply for additional support in the form of an advance on their first payment, known as a “short term benefit advance”, or a hardship payment. The claimant will receive a benefit advance payment on the same or next working day. If the JSA claimant’s period of sickness is likely to be for less than 13 weeks (referred to as an Extended Period of Sickness (EPS)), the claimant may choose to remain in receipt of JSA rather than claiming ESA/UC. If they choose to do this, they will receive the same amount of JSA benefit. To qualify for an EPS the claimant must not be fit for any work and this will be determined based on the medical evidence supplied. During this period the claimant will be treated as being available for work, and the Work Coach will tailor the conditionality requirements on their Claimant Commitment, taking into account the claimant’s health condition. An EPS can only be declared for one continuous period of sickness of 13 weeks or less in any 12 month period calculated from the start of the period of sickness. Once it is clear the period of sickness will last for 13 weeks or more, the claimant will be advised to make a claim to ESA or UC. In areas where UC Full Service is in place, the claimant will be advised to claim UC rather than ESA. One of the policy designs of Universal Credit is that it removes the need for claimants to switch between different benefits as their circumstances change, simplifying the system and ensuring continuity for claimants. As stated, there are no transitional arrangements for UC. Where a claimant advises they cannot manage financially until their pay day (UC is paid monthly, unlike JSA and ESA which are fortnightly), an advance can be made. This advance is recoverable from further payments of UC, at a rate agreed between the claimant and the Work Coach. Universal Credit is a much simpler system with clearer rules and clearer rates. It has an easy to use online account, where claimants can report changes of circumstance in real time. UC Support for disabled people under UC reflects two core components of the old ESA system, ensuring that more severely disabled people benefit from higher payments.